Comoros profile

Demography and Health

Comoros is a small island nation with a population of about 866,628 in 2024, making it one of Africa’s least populous independent states. The demographic profile is shaped by a relatively high birth rate of 28.7 births per 1,000 people (2023) and a crude death rate of 7.2 per 1,000 (2023), signaling a young population and ongoing population growth. The life expectancy at birth is around 66.8 years (2023), which, together with a under-5 mortality rate of 39.8 per 1,000 live births (2023), suggests substantial health challenges, particularly in maternal and child health and nutrition. The prevalence of undernourishment stands at 16.9% of the population (2022), underscoring food insecurity constraints that can affect child development and overall productivity. Net migration registered a notable outflow in 2024 (-2,051 people), reflecting limited domestic opportunities and ongoing emigration, which can influence skills, remittance flows, and aging within the country’s small workforce. Health financing indicators point to a constrained system: current health expenditure accounts for 8.38% of GDP (2022), while per-capita health expenditure at PPP stands at about 32.8 international dollars (2022), indicating that public health resources per person remain very limited compared with higher-income economies. Suicide mortality is relatively low at 6.0 deaths per 100,000 (2021), but the broader health burden implied by under-5 mortality and child nutrition remains an area for policy emphasis. Internet access stands at 35.7% of the population (2023), signaling moderate digital connectivity that could support health education and service delivery if expanded. In sum, Demography and Health data depict a youthful yet vulnerable population with significant needs in child health, nutrition, and health system capacity, against a backdrop of limited fiscal space and outward migration pressures. The government’s ability to improve health outcomes will hinge on targeted investments in maternal and child health, nutrition programs, and equitable access to essential services, alongside strategies to retain human capital.

Economy

Comoros presents a small, low-income economy characterized by modest output per person and shallow production structures. GDP per capita is about 1,784 current US dollars in 2024, with purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP per capita of roughly 4,055 international dollars, illustrating a substantial gap between local prices and international cost levels. This level of income anchors a fragile macroeconomic environment where growth is constrained by limited productive capacity and vulnerability to external shocks. The export orientation is modest: exports of goods and services account for about 9.9% of GDP in 2024, and imports absorb around 34.5% of GDP, indicating a reliance on external goods and a risk of balance-of-payments pressures should terms of trade deteriorate or import costs rise. The current account balance sits at a small negative gap of -1.72% of GDP (2023), suggesting a modest deficit that could widen if import needs rise or export competitiveness does not improve. The economy also faces limited domestic diversification, with high-technology exports valued at 28,418 current US$ (2021), a figure that signals only a minimal role for high-tech manufacturing or advanced services in the economy. Unemployment is reported at 4.39% of the labor force in 2021, but given the broader development context, underemployment and informality are likely substantial, masking the true level of joblessness. Foreign direct investment net inflows amount to 0.374% of GDP (2023), indicating a subdued level of foreign capital participation, which constrains productivity growth and technology transfer. Taken together, the data point to an economy that is small, open to external markets, with weak investment inflows, limited export complexity, and a need for greater productivity enhancements to raise living standards. Policy implications include prioritizing sectors with potential for job creation and export diversification (such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and light manufacturing), improving the business climate to attract FDI, and strengthening macroeconomic buffers against external shocks.

Trade and Investment

Trade and investment dynamics in Comoros reveal a highly open but potentially fragile external sector. The country’s exports account for roughly 9.9% of GDP (2024), while imports consume about 34.5% of GDP (2024), indicating a reliance on foreign-sourced goods and a trade balance more tilted toward import dependence than export capacity. The modest current account deficit (-1.72% of GDP in 2023) reflects this pattern of import reliance but also suggests that external financing needs are manageable at present, provided follow-on investment and export expansion do not deteriorate the external position. Foreign direct investment net inflows stand at 0.374% of GDP (2023), indicating a limited but positive flow of external capital that can support capacity building if policy conditions and institutions improve. The data on high-technology exports are relatively small (28,418 current US$ in 2021), signaling that advanced and technology-intensive sectors play a minimal role in the economy, and underscoring an opportunity to expand knowledge-intensive niches through targeted investment and capacity development. Overall, Comoros faces a confluence of opportunities and constraints: opportunities to leverage niche agricultural products, fisheries, tourism, and services into exported value; constraints from a narrow export base, limited investment, and exposure to external price shocks. Strategies to enhance resilience could include improving import substitution in essential goods, expanding export diversification, and creating a more predictable and investment-friendly environment to attract capital, technology, and know-how.

Governance and Institutions

Governance indicators for Comoros point to structural challenges in governance and institutional quality. Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism scores for 2023 are negative (-0.226), with a global rank of 117, signaling persistent vulnerability to domestic or regional disturbances that can disrupt development plans. Regulatory Quality is markedly weak (-1.24, rank 178), and Rule of Law stands at -1.34 with rank 184, reflecting deficiencies in the effectiveness and reliability of formal rules, contract enforcement, and judicial processes. Control of Corruption is also negative (-0.99, rank 157), and Government Effectiveness is notably low (-1.54, rank 186), highlighting limited public service performance and governance capacity. Taken together, these indicators portray a governance framework with low capacity to implement policy, enforce laws, and deliver services, which can hinder investment, public sector reform, and social outcomes. The combination of weak regulatory quality, poor rule of law, and low government effectiveness suggests a high dose of policy risk for investors and development partners. Nonetheless, the data also reflect an environment where targeted reforms—such as simplifying procedures for business entry, strengthening judicial independence, transparency in public financial management, and anticorruption measures—could meaningfully improve governance legitimacy and investment climate. In this context, external aid, capacity-building programs, and governance-focused reform agendas could yield outsized returns if aligned with practical, transparent reform steps and credible timelines.

Infrastructure and Technology

Infrastructure and technology in Comoros show a mix of limited digital connectivity, modest technological output, and evolving resource use. Internet penetration stands at 35.7% of the population (2023), with an Internet users share ranking of 125 globally, indicating room for broadening access to digital services, e-government, and online education. The country’s high-technology exports are modest in absolute terms (28,418 current US$ in 2021), signaling a minimal footprint of advanced manufacturing or cutting-edge services in the economy, though the presence of such exports is not negligible as a signal of potential growth areas. Energy use is characterized by a notable share of renewable energy at 39.3% of total final energy consumption (2022), an encouraging indicator in terms of climate strategy and energy security, yet the absolute energy intensity and reliability of supply remain critical concerns for sustained development. Water resources face significant stress, with freshwater withdrawal representing about 0.833 of available freshwater resources (2021), indicating a high level of water stress that can constrain agriculture, industry, and daily life without robust management. Greenhouse gas emissions per capita are 0.896 t CO2e (2023), among the lower per-capita levels globally, reflecting a smaller industrial footprint and potential for further decarbonization strategies as the economy grows. Domestic general government health expenditure per capita, PPP, stands at 32.8 international dollars (2022), underscoring the tight fiscal space for public investment in infrastructure, digital connectivity, and essential services. Collectively, Infrastructure and Technology indicators reveal foundational gaps in digital and physical infrastructure, moderate progress in renewable energy, and signals of potential if governance reforms are coupled with targeted investments in energy reliability, water management, and digital inclusion.

Environment and Sustainability

Comoros faces environmental and sustainability challenges characteristic of small island developing states. The country’s total greenhouse gas emissions per capita are relatively low at 0.896 t CO2e (2023), reflecting limited heavy industry and fossil fuel use, but this should not obscure vulnerability to climate-related risks such as sea-level rise, extreme weather, and ecosystem disruption that threaten coastal livelihoods and biodiversity. The energy mix shows a relatively substantial share of renewable energy at 39.3% of total final energy consumption (2022), which is a positive sign for decarbonization and resilience, yet it also implies ongoing dependence on traditional energy sources and the need to scale renewable capacity and reliability. Water stress is pronounced: freshwater withdrawal is 0.833 of available resources (2021), signaling high water scarcity pressure that can affect agriculture, rural livelihoods, and urban water provision, especially in a climate-stressed archipelago. The prevalence of undernourishment at 16.9% (2022) and a life expectancy of 66.8 years (2023) together with a relatively high under-5 mortality rate indicate that environmental factors—such as climate variability, food security, and access to clean water and sanitation—directly shape health and development outcomes. The data also reveal governance and institutional constraints that can hamper environmental management, allocation of climate finance, and enforcement of environmental regulations. Overall, Comoros’ environmental indicators highlight a path toward stronger resilience through expanding renewable energy, improving water resource management, strengthening climate adaptation for agriculture and fisheries, and advancing nutrition and health as environmental and social determinants of sustainability.